c17: I Feel Like I've Been Played Like a Monkey
Having gradually grasped the fundamentals of Saiyan power control, something that had once eluded him due to his unstable temperament.Broly felt an unprecedented sense of clarity after venting his pent-up emotions. Ever since breaking free from the shock collar his father Paragus once used to restrain him in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, his power had no longer been forcibly suppressed. Now, instead of erupting uncontrollably, his ki flowed more naturally, surging and receding like a tide under his will. In that moment of release, he finally understood, on a visceral level, why destruction could feel so intoxicating.
They only needed to eliminate about seventy remaining parasites to complete the mission. With Naruto's shadow clones and Broly's overwhelming combat power, this task was no longer difficult, it was merely a matter of time. At most, it would take a single day to sweep through the remaining targets.
Only three days had passed since their arrival in this world. Compared to the original urgency they had felt, they now had an abundance of time. More than enough to act freely.
At the same time, Broly had already begun forming a plan. Instead of hiding, he intended to repeatedly expose their location and movements. In his mind, drawing out the so-called Parasite Control Bureau would be far more efficient than passively searching. With his Saiyan instincts and ever-sharpening battle sense, he preferred confrontation over concealment.
Naruto was completely stunned by the sight before him. Even as someone who had fought tailed beasts like Kurama, he couldn't help but gape at the massive squid lying before them. The sheer size rivaled some smaller bijuu manifestations, and yet Broly had dragged it out of the sea in less than half an hour using nothing but brute strength and ki-enhanced movement.
Su Xiaoyou, on the other hand, remained relatively calm. Coming from a future martial arts world filled with mutated beasts, she had seen creatures far more terrifying through broadcasts and combat footage. Some sea monsters were said to be ten times larger than this squid. However, actually hunting such creatures was another matter entirely—only peak-level fighters like Hong and Lei had ever been recorded accomplishing such feats.
Compared to Naruto's excitement, Su Xiaoyou's concern was far more grounded. She looked at Broly, her brows slightly furrowed. Such an exaggerated display of strength and presence would undoubtedly create massive disturbances. In a world already sensitive to anomalies, it would be strange if the Parasite Control Bureau did not take notice.
"Broly, isn't this a bit reckless? What if it attracts their attention?" Su Xiaoyou asked, unable to suppress her worry.
Broly hovered slightly above the ground, his body naturally supported by ki, just like the flight technique used by Saiyans and warriors across Universe 7. He glanced at her, expression calm but eyes carrying a faint wildness.
"We can finish the mission today. What is there to fear?" he replied indifferently.
"And even if they come… what can they actually do to us?"
He slowly raised one hand and clenched it. Instantly, a visible ripple of air spread outward, accompanied by a low hum his ki briefly flaring like the aura he displayed in battle against Goku and Vegeta. Though he suppressed most of it, the pressure alone was enough to make the surrounding space feel heavier.
"From the very beginning, the balance of power was never equal," Broly continued, his tone steady yet domineering.
"If I wanted to, I could wipe them out at any time."
"Right now, they should be the ones wary of us not the other way around."
Su Xiaoyou opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. The subtle surge of pressure, combined with Broly's unwavering confidence, made her hesitate. It wasn't just strength, it was something deeper, a shift in his presence.
For reasons she couldn't fully explain, she felt that Broly had changed after leaving and returning. He was still the same person, yet also… not entirely. There was a growing edge to him, something untamed that made even her instinctively cautious.
Broly turned his attention to Naruto.
"Brother Naruto, use your Shadow Clone Technique. Spread out and clear all remaining targets. Let's finish everything today and come back for squid balls."
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Naruto grinned, immediately forming hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, hundreds no, thousands of clones burst into existence, densely filling the area. Each clone carried a portion of Naruto's chakra, a feat made possible by his massive reserves and the influence of Kurama. As they dispersed, many transformed into small animals to blend into the environment, dramatically increasing their search efficiency.
Even Kakashi, if he were present, would have been shocked by such extravagant chakra usage.
"Su Xiaoyou," Broly added, glancing back briefly, "find a few skilled chefs to prepare this squid. We'll be back once the mission is done."
He paused for a moment, then continued in a tone that carried an unconscious authority.
"If anything happens, just @ me in the group chat. I'll sense it and fly back immediately."
With his ability to sense energy signatures, a basic yet powerful technique among Dragon Ball warriors returning instantly was no exaggeration.
Without realizing it, Broly had already adopted a commanding tone. Yet to him, it felt completely natural, as if this was how things were meant to be.
Somewhere deep inside, subtle changes were taking root.
Su Xiaoyou stood in place, watching as Broly's figure rose higher into the sky, his silhouette shrinking until it vanished into the distance. Her body had unconsciously nodded in response to his instructions.
She let out a quiet sigh.
She could tell that Broly had become more considerate more aware of her and Naruto's thoughts. Yet at the same time, he was also becoming increasingly unrestrained, less willing to be bound by rules or hesitation.
Still… there was one thing she could not deny.
Broly seemed happier than before more alive, more energetic, as if he had finally found a way to exist that truly suited him.
Whether that change was good or bad, she couldn't say.
And in the end, she chose not to dwell on it.
She had never wanted to control him.
She only wanted to stand beside him as a friend.
Having figured this out, Su Xiaoyou felt the weight in her chest ease considerably. She no longer dwelled on Broly's changes.after all, ever since he had broken free from the control device Paragus used on him in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, it was only natural that his personality would gradually return to a more instinct-driven Saiyan state. Compared to the earlier restrained and confused version of him, this Broly who could now consciously guide his ki instead of letting it explode uncontrollably was far more stable, even if he appeared more domineering on the surface.
With that thought, she quickly became cheerful again and went off to find some experienced cooks who could handle squid. Judging by the sheer size of the creature Broly had dragged out of the sea something comparable to the giant sea beasts seen in extreme environments like Planet Vampa, it would probably take seven or eight cooks working together to process it properly, right?
She wasted no time and soon gathered seven or eight seasoned cooks, then directly rented an open space suitable for large-scale grilling. For Su Xiaoyou, anything that could be solved with money was never a problem. Ever since she had begun traveling across worlds, she had long mastered the method of leveraging different currencies and rare resources to quickly accumulate wealth.
Each traversal was essentially a shortcut to financial freedom, allowing her to stockpile supplies back home food, medicine, equipment everything she might need in the future. To her, this kind of preparation was as important as training, much like how Saiyans would constantly improve their combat readiness before battle.
The seven or eight cooks, however, had completely different thoughts.
On the way there, they were still full of disdain.
"What kind of squid needs this many people to cook?" one of them muttered.
They all assumed that Su Xiaoyou was exaggerating. In their minds, "one squid" likely meant several boxes of squid portions, and she was just trying to underpay them by twisting her words. After all, their wages weren't based on time, they were calculated per squid prepared.
Because of that, they had repeatedly emphasized during the journey that if it turned out to be more than one squid, the pay would have to increase possibly even double.
Su Xiaoyou simply smiled and agreed without arguing.
However, the moment they arrived and saw the so-called "one squid," every single one of them froze on the spot.
A single tentacle stretched across the ground, thicker than a tree trunk and longer than all seven or eight of them laid end to end. The faint residual pressure from Broly's ki still lingered on it, making the air feel heavy, as if the creature had once been enveloped in a terrifying aura before its death.
Their jaws dropped.
A few of the cooks immediately thought about turning around and running. Just looking at the size of the squid, they knew that finishing it would be a nightmare. Even if they worked until exhaustion, they might not be done by nightfall.
But just as they were about to act, they turned back and saw Su Xiaoyou casually swing a wooden stick.
Crack!
A nearby large tree split cleanly in half, the fracture smooth as if it had been cut by a blade. The display of physical strength was no less shocking than the overwhelming pressure one would feel when facing a warrior like Nappa during the Saiyan Saga.
Su Xiaoyou rested the stick on her shoulder and smiled gently.
"I do respect the elderly and care for the young," she said in a calm tone, "but I don't usually carry a stick around."
"If you want to leave, that's fine. Just follow what we agreed earlier each of you takes one hit from me before going."
The group of experienced cooks instantly went pale.
Under this kind of "persuasion," they quickly abandoned any thoughts of escape and obediently got to work, tears practically forming in their eyes as they began processing the giant squid.
They first located and carefully removed the massive ink sac, afraid that if it burst, it would ruin a large portion of the meat. Then they began cleaning the body, cutting it into manageable sections while marveling at its density, it was far tougher than any normal squid.
After that, they coated the meat evenly with sauce, using large brushes and buckets just to cover the surface. Finally, they set up grills more than a dozen of them and began igniting charcoal fires, preparing for a long, grueling session.
As they worked, one cook nudged another and whispered nervously,
"My God… this is the biggest squid I've ever seen. Are we even allowed to eat something like this? Isn't this illegal?"
The other cook shot him an annoyed look.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" he muttered, clearly unwilling to dwell on the question.
All he wanted was to finish grilling this mountain of squid, go home, take a long bath, and pretend none of this had ever happened.
Deep down, he knew the answer already.
Something of this scale was definitely not normal. If discovered, they might all end up being questioned by the authorities.
But what choice did they have?
Compared to legal trouble, the immediate threat of that stick was far more real. If it came down on them, they doubted they'd survive in one piece.
…
Meanwhile, the official special forces were growing increasingly frustrated, feeling as though they were being toyed with by their own command.
They had already rushed to three different locations in succession. Each time they arrived, new orders came in the target has moved, proceed immediately to the next area.
"This is ridiculous!" one soldier snapped.
"We're flying in helicopters armed helicopters and even coordinating with fighter jets!"
"Are those criminal gangs faster than aircraft now?"
"Or are we just being sent in circles for nothing?"
Their patience was wearing thin.
Finally, they reached the latest designated location. This time, their superiors had given firm assurance that they would definitely encounter the target here.
At the same time, inside the Tokyo command center, analysts were staring at satellite feeds with bewildered expressions.
On the screen, seven or eight cooks were busy grilling an enormous squid across multiple charcoal grills, while nearby, Su Xiaoyou leaned on a stick, seemingly deep in thought.
"…What exactly are they doing now?" one operator muttered.
Before anyone could make sense of the scene, alarms suddenly sounded again.
Another series of explosions human bodies bursting apart had appeared in the area where Broly was active.
The parasites immediately realized what was happening.
The other two Naruto and Broly had already begun systematically hunting them down. With Naruto's Shadow Clone Technique spreading across vast areas and Broly's ability to sense energy signatures similar to ki detection used by warriors like Goku, their hiding spots were rapidly being exposed.
However, from the parasites' perspective, this separation also created an opportunity.
If the three opponents were no longer together, they could be targeted individually.
Everything had already been set into motion.
All that remained… was the final push.